At the August 3 meeting of the Preston City Council, the hire of Mitch Kriener as the Preston Public Utilities General Manager/Public Works Director was approved.
Interim City Administrator Michelle Marotzke explained Nels Rasmussen, who was first offered the position, said he appreciated the fair offer but declined the position on July 27.
Current lineman Mitch Kriener, a long time PPU employee, was one of the final two candidates for the position. The Hiring Committee provided a formal offer for the position to Kriener subject to the approval of the PPU Commission, who has now approved the hire. The offer to Kriener was mostly the same as for Rasmussen except it includes payment for on-call time rather than accumulated compensatory time. Mayor Kurt Reicks said he was happy with the hire, noting Kriener has been with the city a long time and knows the system; he will also have good support staff.
Approval was given for the posting for a PPU replacement lineworker position. Attorney Joe O’Koren will be consulted as to the wording of the posting.
Other Business in Brief
•An executive secretary position was created as recommended by Marotzke. The executive secretary receives assignments from the city administrator, deputy clerk, and PPU general manager. The executive secretary reports to the city administrator. It will be a Grade 5 position. The job description was approved as presented.
An updated job description was approved for the city secretary position.
The current person serving as secretary will be the executive secretary, and the newly updated secretary position will not be filled at this time. The secretary position will create in future years an opportunity for succession planning.
Marotzke recommended the changes to create a more equitable pay scale relative to job duties.
•The purchase of a 2026 John Deere lawn mower from Preston Equipment was approved to be available in September. It was due to be replaced in 2027. The cost after trade of the 2021 John Deere Z950M lawn mower will be $8,000. That cost is divided equally between the city, PPU, and Park Board. The PPU had already approved the purchase.
•Minutes from the regular meeting on July 20 were approved as were the minutes from the special meeting held on May 8. The special meeting was called to consider misconduct charges; it was closed at the request of the individual being charged. The city administrator, Ryan Throckmorton, was terminated when the meeting was re-opened. A motion was approved to appoint Marotzke as the interim city administrator pending her acceptance.
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